


It Was You

by Freeandbored



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Dorks in Love, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 05:23:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17954381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freeandbored/pseuds/Freeandbored
Summary: Sometimes people are not what they look.





	It Was You

**Author's Note:**

> NedTai Week  
> Day 5: High School AU

Mei walked quickly; she wasn’t late even though she spent a lot of time getting ready. It was the first day of school. She was so excited. That year she’d have other classmates, among them, Jake, the boy of her dreams. She felt her heart beating fast, she was sure she’d have a seat next to him. They didn’t talk too much, but he was always nice with her. She thought that if they sat together then she could make her move.  

She took a deep breath and opened the classroom door. Her smile disappeared when she saw him next to another classmate. The only two free desks were at the back of the classroom. Mei was disappointed, but she didn’t want to give up. Then a guy appeared and everyone looked at him in silence, as if they feared him.

When he took the seat next to her, she could hear her classmates murmuring. Then the teacher arrived and the class started. Actually, Mei was too busy trying to figure out how to capture her crush’s attention so she didn’t realize that one of the most fearsome guys in all school was sitting next to her.

There were more whispering until a severe glare of the teacher made them be quiet. Later the teacher announced that they’d be partners for every class project. Some of her classmates laughed and others murmured again. That boy didn’t react, as if he were used to that kind of situations.

“Great” she thought sarcastically. “This is going to be a great year”. Mei cursed in her mind, but she didn’t want to feel intimidated by him. She was too proud for that. 

Mei observed him down and up: boots, torn jeans, a rock band t-shirt; he had spiky dirty blond hair, it reminded her to a tulip; he had a piercing in the ear and other in the eyebrow, and above it there was a scar. He looked very scary. She thought that it could be very difficult, and boring, to work with him.

On the other hand, Lars sighed annoyed. He didn’t want to work with that girl. She looked very delicate and she wore too much pink. He knew she was observing him as if he were a bug. Probably she was one of those spoiled girls who think no one deserves them. He was about to ask the teacher if he could work alone, but she spoke.

“So, we are going to work together” she told him.

He nodded.

“Well, I’m Mei”

“I’m Lars” he said.

“What if we meet after class in the library?” She asked him.

“Alright”

\---

Lars waited for her. He spent some of his free time in the library because he liked silence and read. Also because he didn’t have so many friends, but he didn’t really care. Most of the time. Then she interrupted his reading.

“Do you like that author?” she asked, smiling.

“Yeah, so?”

“I just ask, because…”. Then she looked away. “Nevermind. What if we make a list of what we are going to do?” she suggested.

They discussed the theme and some ideas they had. Working with him wasn’t bad at all. He was too quiet and serious, but he was smart and organized, and he seemed to know a lot about literature. Also, she was still curious about the book he was reading, she liked it too. It was a romantic novel.   

As days passed, they met in the library and talked about their work, but later they started talking about other things. Well, only her, she was a chatterbox; she told him every single thing it came to her mind. He had to admit that it was very pleasant to spend time with her, she was funny and witty, she told him jokes to make him laugh, but he just smiled shyly.

One day she invited him to her house to finish the work. Yao gasped when he looked at him. He didn’t say anything because Mei pouted when she noticed his expression. Lars knew since the beginning that he wasn’t going to be welcome there, but she insisted and somehow he couldn’t say no.

“Why did you invite that _criminal_ to our home? You are lucky that mom and dad are at work” Yao told her when she went to the kitchen for a drink.

“We are project partners, what is your problem?”

“My problem is that you can’t bring people like him to this house” he said.

The two siblings argued while Lars could hear everything from the living room. He felt sad, but he knew he didn’t look like a good guy. He was about to tell her he wanted to go home, but then she arrived and smiled at him, and for a moment he forgot the incident.

\-----

Mei tried to be friends with Lars. Also she felt really guilty for Yao’s words. Her brother was a judgmental person, and she was sure he listened to all that conversation. Lars wasn’t a bad person, and he was always alone so, probably he needed a friend. More than fear, he inspired her curiosity.

“What are you going to do this weekend?” she asked while she took a sit next to him.

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, as if he didn’t know she was referring to him. He didn’t say anything, he just looked at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that… the project is done… we don’t have to spend more time together. Maybe you prefer to spend time with your friends”

“I know… but I thought we could be friends” she said, blushing. “I’m sorry, I won’t bother you again” she said quietly.

“Don’t apologize. I’m sorry. It’s just that I am not used to have people around. That’s all” he admitted.

Mei smiled and both started talking. The fact that she followed him everywhere was something unexpected, but he truly enjoyed her company. One of those days, he asked her if she wanted to go to his house. Mei’s smile got brighter and accepted.

His house was very big and it was in an elegant neighborhood. She was really surprised. His parents weren’t at home, but his siblings did. Also they were surprised because he had a guest.

\--------

Little by little she forgot how he looked. He liked reading and gardening, and he had a rabbit as a pet. Also he ended up for accepting her in his life. She made him laugh, and it was very easy to talk with her about everything. She made his life brighter.

They spent most of their free time together. Sometimes they did homework together, went to the cinema, rode their bikes or played videogames at her home. Other times they went to his house to help his sister to bake cookies or cakes, or they just were outside listening to music. He thought they made a very odd pair, but it seemed that she didn’t care about it.

He wondered why among all the people in school she preferred to spend time with him. She had other friends, and she still hanged out with them. Sometimes she invited him to join them, but he felt strange with other people, so he said no.

When he wasn’t with Mei, he missed her; he didn’t know why he wanted to spend all his time with her and why he had a strange feeling in his stomach, as butterflies, when she was around. Then he realized he probably liked her.

That was a big problem, because he knew she liked another person. A guy that smiled and who was being himself. Not like him who had to wear that costume to pretend he was different. However, he liked her too much to want her to be happy.

\---

“When are you going to talk with him?” Lars asked her, while she observed Jake from afar.

“I tried, but he is always surrounded by his friends” she sighed.

“Maybe you should try, anyways” he said and put his hand on her head. “You are thinking a lot”. Then, he sighed and told her, he had to go early because he had an appointment with the dentist. He was lying, but she didn’t know it. Mei thought that since he encouraged her too much, then that means that she still felt something for Jake, and Lars could notice it.

Actually, Mei hadn’t been thinking about Jake in a while. At that moment she observed him because she was wondering where those butterflies she felt when she saw him were. She still thought he was handsome and cool, but she didn’t know what was happening. Lars told her that she needed to tell Jake about her feelings if not, other person would do it.

\-----

The spring ball would be in some weeks. Mei and Jake talked more often thanks to Lars’ encouragement. It hadn’t been too difficult because he was friendly and outgoing like her. Mei could say that they were friends. They got along really well and spent more time together. People said they could make a great couple. Mei just smiled.

Lars felt his heart aching every time he saw them together, but if she was happy, he had to be happy too. And maybe it was true what others said, they could make a great couple, not like him and her that were a very strange pair. She deserved someone better.  

Mei wasn’t really sure about her situation. Yes, Jake was the boy of her dreams, but it was something on him that didn’t convince her, she didn’t know what it was. Also she missed to spend more time with Lars, and she felt a little bit upset every time a girl talked with him. Since she was his friend, it seemed that no one feared him anymore. She told him that his appeal as a _bad boy_ was working, and she faked a smile.

\-----

“Are you going to go to the ball?” she asked Lars.

“I don’t think so. I don’t like dancing” he said annoyed. “And you?” he asked as if he didn’t know.

“Well, I still don’t know, Jake hasn’t asked me. I even received a tape this morning, probably is his. So old fashioned, but that makes it even more especial” she said.

“Maybe… you could ask him instead” he said, trying to hide his bitterness.

Mei looked at him. He pointed at Jake, who was alone and encouraged her to go. She hesitated, but tried to do it and for her surprise he said yes. She wanted to look at Lars, but she saw him talking with some girls, so maybe she’d tell him later.

\----

Lars rejected all the invitations he got. He didn’t want to lie to those girls and he couldn’t lie to himself. He liked Mei, and only Mei. He liked the way she played with her hair when she was distracted, her jokes, each of her expressions and her sweet smile. She was very special for him; she was there for him when no one wanted to talk with him, even though their friendship was like an accident.

He would like to invite her to the ball. He hated dancing, but he’d have done it for her. It was him who made that tape. He knew that it was a useless effort, but he wanted to express his feelings in some way. So he put it in her back pack when she wasn’t watching, but she thought it was from Jake.

He imagined the ideal scenario in which she realized it was him who gave her that playlist as an invitation to the ball, and she said yes. Now it was ridiculous to think about it because that guy surely liked her back. What kind of person wouldn’t like her after spend time with her, he wondered.

\-----

Mei sent him a message, but he replied some hours later, he told her he was busy. He didn’t want to know details about her date. He told her he wouldn’t go to the dance, she understood. Before she went out, she sent him a picture of her. He thought she looked gorgeous in that dress.

Lars was really heartbroken, but probably she was happy enjoying the ball. She didn’t need him anymore. Then his phone rang. It was Mei. He hesitated, but what if she needed something.

“Lars, could you come here? Please” she asked him. Her voice sounded strange, as if she was sad.

“What happened?”

“Nothing, just please come here” she said almost desperate.

“Don’t worry, wait for me” he said.

When Lars arrived, he found Mei outside the school.

“Sorry for bothering you, but I really needed to talk with you” she said.

“He did something bad to you?” he asked.

Mei shook her head. He waited until she was ready to talk, they walked for some minutes. Mei was very absent-minded, so probably what she wanted to tell him was very serious and important, Lars thought.

Before she confessed her feelings to Jake, he smiled and told her:

_“I think I am not the person you wanted to invite to the ball. You look sad. You’re thinking of Lars Janssen, aren’t you?”_

Mei didn’t know what to say, because probably he was right. Then he explained her that he liked someone else too. Actually, he wanted to invite that person to the ball, but they were an exchange student. However he was glad that she had invited him because she was a good friend of his.

Somehow Mei didn’t felt bad about that. Then she wondered that if Jake didn’t send her that tape, then who? The first person she kept in mind was Lars, he secretly liked love songs, but he encouraged her to talk with Jake. Then she took the risk and called him.

Mei stopped and looked at Lars. She looked in her purse and showed him the tape.

“It was you who sent me this, right?”

He looked down and nodded.  

“Why?”

“Because you weren’t afraid of me, you gave me a chance. You are very special to me”

“But… as a friend… or?” she asked embarrassed.

Lars blushed, he was glad it was almost night so she couldn’t notice it. However it was his chance to tell her what he was keeping in his heart for a very long time.

“I… I like you”

Mei looked at him. She was so happy to hear that. She took his hand.

“I think I am the dumbest girl ever. I invited the wrong guy to the ball. Lars, forgive me, probably you suffered too much because of my fault”

“Don’t apologize; none of us were honest with our feelings”

They embraced for some minutes. Now their hearts were in peace, as if everything was in their right place. They didn’t want to come back to the ball, instead he gave her an earbud, and both danced slowly at the rhythm of that love song that made him thought of her.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
